One Rule
by breatheinthemagic
Summary: Katherine Beckett was a rule breaker. Until her parents told her that she wouldn't be allowed to go to Stanford unless she swore to be responsible and follow every and any rule. So far, she's been okay. Then again, her Literature teacher, Richard Rodgers, is definitely one rule that she wouldn't mind breaking. Will not escalate to anything past T.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Castle fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or _The Fault in Our Stars_.**

* * *

The second she walked into that class, she knew it was going to be one hell of a year.

She had just gotten out of her wild child phase.

Okay, that was only a ploy to get her parents to allow her to go to Stanford.

She _was_ trying to be a better person, though. She was trying, and that's why she was taking Literature. Writing was the one thing that could calm her down and make her feel normal for a little. Reading was her only escape. Literature was supposed to make her a better person.

She lowered herself in her seat, when she recognized the boy who had helped her move into her dorm the other night. Javier.

"Hey, chica. I didn't peg you for a Lit kind of girl," he commented, slipping into the seat next to her.

"Javier, right?"

He nodded.

"Do you have plans for tonight?" he asked.

Her head tilted, and she almost laughed.

"I'm new in town, and it's a school night."

He shrugged.

"I was going to suggest us hanging out in your dorm tonight."

"A little forward, don't you think?"

"No, that wasn't what I was suggesting," he explained as she raised an eyebrow. "I was going to order in Chinese and hang out while we do French homework. You _are_ taking French, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Kate replied, feeling kind of idiotic at this point. "Okay. I'll see you then."

"Any specific time?" he asked, pulling his notebook out.

"I'll be in all night, really."

"Katherine Beckett," a deep voice called from the front of the room.

She realized that the professor was taking roll call.

"Present," she replied into the room.

Roll call continued as she opened her notebook, beginning to doodle. She knew her literature inside and out. This class would be a—

"No doodling in my class," the deep voice said, much louder (as its source was no longer located at the front of the room, but next to Kate).

Her professor placed a book on her desk, then on Javier's.

"Miss Beckett, I'd like you to please pay attention."

She sighed, nodding.

She watched as her professor walked back to the front of the room.

He had sandy brown hair, cobalt eyes behind his square eyeglass frames, and he was tall. From what Kate could see through the green button-up shirt rolled up to his sleeves, his muscles were larger than average. And he had an intellect. And a _really_ nice voice. He couldn't have been much older than her and Javier.

She stared at the book cover.

_The Fault in Our Stars_ by John Green.

She had read this book before. She'd read this book at least five times. It was definitely a favorite.

"Can anyone tell me why I would choose this book?" the professor asked.

Several hands shot up.

"Miss Beckett," he called. "Your opinion?"

She took a deep breath before replying.

"The book has many metaphorical aspects, which are of course not as obvious to the literarily impaired."

Her professor nodded.

"Very good, Miss Beckett. Very good."

~x~

She was talking to Javier about their plans for tonight (whether there would be movies, what he should order, what he needed help with for French) at lunch.

She liked Javier, but she knew that they wouldn't ever amount to anything other than friends, and it seemed that he knew that too. She was already feeling fairly comfortable with him, which was nice. She needed a friend in town, and Javier was a good one.

She got in line to buy a bag of chips, leaving Javier at the table they were sitting at in the campus-coffee-shop-that-sold-lunch.

Someone tapped her shoulder, so she turned.

"Professor Rodgers," she said, surprised.

"Miss Beckett," he replied, putting a hand out for her to shake.

"Please, call me Kate," she shook his hand in response.

"Kate. You were wonderful in class today."

"Thank you, Professor Ro—"

"Rick," he insisted, cutting her off as she reached the register. He handed a five dollar bill to the clerk over Kate's shoulder. "I'm paying for her, too."

Kate's hazel-green eyes met her professor's cobalt, shaking her head.

"No, I can't let you do that," she argued. "It's okay. I can pay for my own chips."

He laughed.

"Take it as an apology for yelling at you earlier," Rick said, receiving a receipt for his sandwich and her chips. "See you in class, Kate."

Kate watched as her professor walked away. Finally, she snapped out of her trance and walked towards Javier.

"What was that?" Javier asked.

"He paid for my chips," Kate replied, showing him her Lays.

Javier only nodded.

His phone rang, signaling his next class.

"I'll see you later, but I've got to go make bio," he stood, leaving the coffee shop.

Kate finished her bag of chips and began to get to her next class as well.

~x~

She sat in her green plaid fleece pajama pants and her light gray NYU sweatshirt, her prescription Ray Ban Wayfarers now on, as she read _The Fault in Our Stars_.

Even though she knew how the book ended, her heart continued to break at the first line of Chapter Twenty-One.

There were knocks on her door, so she put her hair in a ponytail and answered the door.

"Hey, Javi. Come on in," she said, waving him in and taking a bag of Chinese food. "What'd you get?"

"I got Lo Mein and sushi. I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I picked up some fried rice and sweet and sour chicken too," he replied, plopping his backpack on the floor next to Kate's couch.

"I've already done the French homework," she muttered.

"Oh, that's fine. Me too."

She unpacked the brown paper bags, laying out the contents on the table. She pulled two bowls out of her cupboard, filling her own with a little bit of everything and grabbing a pair of chopsticks from among the spread out contents.

Javier did the same, nodding towards _The Fault in Our Stars_.

"You like it?" he asked.

"I've read it before, but yeah. It's a favorite."

"Does she die?"

Kate was startled.

Even back in New York, no one ever asked her about a book's ending. Perhaps that was because her friends in New York weren't readers, and that her mom had never been one to read ahead.

She looked for the words, trying to decide if she should tell him or not, and decided finally on the latter.

"You should just read it. It would be a crime for me to tell you."

He chuckled, scooping food into his mouth.

"So, what do you think of Lit?"

"It's okay. It's only the beginning, so how would we know?" Kate commented. "It is a year-long course."

"True. What do you think of the professor, though?"

"He's okay."

Javier agreed as he pushed a Spicy Tuna Roll into his mouth.

"He's young," he said softly.

"Yeah, that's different though, right? I guess college is when you might actually start to have teachers that are anywhere near your age."

It was silent, but no necessarily awkward.

"Hey, you know what? Let's put on the TV. I think my How I Met Your Mother DVDs are in the cabinet on the…left?" Kate offered as Javier got up to put a DVD in.

"You know, Becks," he began, testing the nickname and deciding he liked it. "You're cool."

~x~

Kate woke up the next morning on the couch, noting that Javier had probably left to get showered and dressed for class.

She looked around and saw that the Chinese boxes from last night were in the garbage and the bowls were in the sink. The only thing that hadn't changed other than her position on the couch was the How I Met Your Mother menu screen still playing.

She got up and showered, shuffling with her schedule to see which classes she had today. She still had time to kill, so she chose to take a walk and read, then stop at the coffee shop for breakfast.

Nothing interesting, she decided, grabbing her backpack and her copy of _The Fault in Our Stars._

When she had scoped out the campus on the first day of her arrival, she made sure to find which path was less traveled—not simply to be symbolic—but so that she could read all she wanted as she walked without killing someone with her carelessness.

The path less traveled, she discovered, was the small dirt path near her dorm. The path would lead her to most of her classes, with the exception of French and whatever she had after Literature. She pulled _TFiOS_ out of her bag, walking at a steady pace as she read.

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks when she bumped into a body, and blushed even harder when she heard his voice.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I should have—" the voice paused. "Kate?"

She chuckled nervously.

"Oh, Professor Rodgers. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on my way to the library. And call me Rick."

She nodded, taking his outstretched hand so that she could get up.

"What about you, Kate? What are you doing?"

"I have time to kill before class, so I thought maybe I would just get some breakfast and read some," she explained, showing him the book.

"You're reading that now? You still have a week to read it and you're already half way through," he said, starting to walk with her.

Kate silently cursed whoever decided that the library and the campus coffee shop should be five steps away from each other.

She had had crushes on teachers before, of course she had, but back then, it was always one sided. The teacher never replied or reciprocated or even talked to her outside of class. But now.

"I've already read it before so I decided to just re-read it and refresh my head because I have some other stuff to do."

"Oh, well what do you think about it?" he asked.

"It's tragically beautiful, of course," she replied.

"Why would you say that?"

She almost wanted to laugh.

"Are you serious? John Green is brilliant! Augustus is a character that is so unique and yet realistic. Hazel is—"

"Hazel isn't even the main character."

"Of _course_ she is."

"It's mostly Gus's story."

The argument continued until the got to the coffee shop where Rick opened the door for Kate.

"I thought you were going to the library," Kate said.

"It's okay, let me buy you breakfast."

She paused for a moment.

"What?"

"We'll take-out, sit on the bench on our path, okay? I just want to talk to you some more," Rick said, turning to the clerk. "Two bearclaws and two coffees. One black and one—"

"Grande skim latte, two pumps of sugar free vanilla."

He smiled, nodding.

"That."

As their order arrived, they walked back towards the path that they'd come from.

They didn't talk this time, only stopping when they reached the sole bench.

"So how did you find this dirt path anyway?" Rick asked, pulling a bearclaw out of the white paper bag and handing her one, as well as her coffee.

"I scoped it out when I first visited. What about you?"

"When I was a student here, I hung out on this bench for most of the time that I wasn't in my dorm or in class."

"How long ago was that?" she asked nervously.

"Oh, it was only five years ago."

Five years. He was five years older than her. That was _definitely_ a reasonable age difference, right?

Her phone rang, since Javi had suggested she set alarms for her classes, so she got up.

"Thanks for the breakfast, Rick. I have to get to class—"

"Would you like to go to dinner so that we could discuss some more?"

She blinked quickly, as if she couldn't believe he'd just asked that.

"Aren't there rules against teachers and students dating?" she commented.

He relaxed against the bench.

"We're only _discussing_, Kate. If it leads to me walking you to your dorm and kissing you on the doorstep, that's a completely different story."

She took a deep breath.

He was sweet and handsome, yes. And so what if there were rules? She hasn't given a crap about them for the last four years of her life, so why should she start now? Besides, it was only discussing.

"Yes, that sounds fine, I suppose. Friday night, seven pm. I really have to get going."

"See you in Literature, Miss Beckett."

She only walked away, slightly disappointed in herself.

It was only one rule.

* * *

**A/N: I've never been to Stanford, so I wouldn't know the mapping or anything...sorry? Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**You all are so spectacular! Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews!**

* * *

That night, Javier came over again. This time, they simply did homework and ate pizza.

Javier was doing his Philosophy homework, while Kate was doing her Trigonometry.

"Oh, there's a party at Rinconada, tomorrow night. Do you think you'd want to come?" he asked, taking a sip of the water bottle that sat in front of him.

"Rinconada?" Kate asked, not looking up.

"The dorm building across campus. The party starts at seven."

She was about to say yes when she remembered her date—no,_ discussion_—with Rick.

"I can't. I have a thing."

Javier stared at her, exasperated.

"A thing. You're ditching the biggest party of the year for a _thing_?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"It's a tutoring session."

"A _tutoring_ session? For what? You're like, a genius."

She debated telling Javier about Rick, but there wasn't anything to tell. She was just talking to a teacher about a few books. That was all.

And yet, there was just something tugging at her to not tell him. Maybe it was just the fact that she was scared that Javier would tell, but she wanted to keep him a secret. She wanted to keep Rick as her secret.

"It's for Business Law. I just need my tutor to help me juggle everything. That's all."

"I'll stay here, then. I can wait for you to come back so we can go to the party."

"No, Javi. It's okay. I don't really want to go to the party anyway. I'm here for my studies, and that's all."

She almost wanted to slam her head into her Trigonometry textbook when she saw the slightest look of pain on his face.

He sighed, nodding.

"It's okay, you don't have to come to the party, but you have to pay for Chinese food until the end of the semester."

She laughed.

"Okay, deal," Kate agreed.

~x~

As soon as Kate woke up, she brushed her teeth and changed. She put her contacts in, pulled her backpack on, and walked out the door and onto the dirt path.

Criminology, a class that she was looking forward to, would be her first class of the day.

If she could, she would have enough time to grab breakfast at the coffee shop. She would _make_ enough time.

She didn't read. She only walked, her earbuds in and Mumford and Sons playing into her head.

Kate watched as the campus continued to move. So much movement in one area. People walking into class, out of class, holding hands, and some ignoring each other, but obviously not because she saw the quiet looks of pure want in their eyes.

She felt the dirt beneath her Converse, and felt very at home on the campus that she'd only lived on for a week.

The coffee shop came into view, and she pulled the door open to find Rick sitting at one of the tables, immersed in something he was typing on his laptop.

She wondered silently, but ignored it, walking straight to the counter to order a bearclaw and her coffee.

Her order was filled and he waved her over.

"Good morning, Miss Beckett," he said, going back to typing.

"You called me over to say good morning?"

"No, I called you over to make sure you were still coming to our discussion this evening."

"Yeah, of course I am."

"Also, I wanted you to type your number onto this document so that I can text you the details."

She turned his laptop around to face him, typed in her cell phone number, and then turned it back to him.

"Thank you," he whispered, without anyone noticing.

Her phone rang, and he looked like he was about to groan.

"I'll see you later, Professor Rodgers," she sighed, walking out of the coffee shop and into Criminology.

~x~

She had always been interested in mysteries, and maybe that stemmed from the one thing her and her mother had in common—mystery books.

Criminology became one of the only classes that she would ever pay attention to. She didn't know anyone in that class, so just like she did in Literature, she sat in an empty seat near the back.

If only the teacher would arrive.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked.

Kate shook her head, not bothering to see who was talking to her.

"I'm Kevin Ryan."

She looked over at him.

"Kate Beckett."

"Nice to meet you."

She nodded, continuing to tap her pen on her notebook.

"So, how long have you been going to Stanford?" he asked.

"I'm a freshman."

"Oh, me too."

Every time he started to talk, she would reply, he would reply, and then the conversation would hit an awkward lurch.

"I just arrived yesterday, and I've been homeschooled my whole life, so I've never really talked to anyone other than my parents and a few other kids," he admitted finally.

Kate felt a little guilty for trying to wave off the boy, so she nodded.

"Well I suppose you'd need a place to eat lunch and dinner, then."

Kevin smiled.

"I do."

"I'm going to lunch with my friend Javi at around one, does that work with you?"

"Yeah, that's great."

"I would invite you over to my dorm to eat dinner and do homework, but I have a tutoring session tonight," she explained, deciding to keep her cover about Rick.

"Maybe Monday, then," he said.

"Of course. Monday sounds great."

"Thank you, Kate."

She shrugged.

"I haven't even done anything yet."

~x~

When lunch finally rolled around, Kevin arrived in the coffee shop, his emerald eyes scanning the place for Kate.

"Kevin! Over here!" she called from a booth in the back, where she was seated with a Latino guy their age. Javier, he presumed.

He sat across from Kate and Javier, where Kate introduced them.

"Javi, this is Kevin from Criminology. Kevin, this is Javi."

The two shook hands and immediately started talking about a game that was on TV last night, so Kate simply shut it out.

She got a text that read:

_(2:03 pm)_

_Donovan's in Paco Alto. It's pretty popular, so just ask around. I'll meet you there at seven. –Rick_

Javier looked at her questioningly.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"No one, I'll just tell them that I'm busy."

"Is it your tutor?" Kevin wondered.

Kate sighed.

"Yeah, that's him. Come on, let's just eat."

So Kevin ordered a black bean burger ("I'm vegetarian," he explained), Kate a cheeseburger, and Javier a chicken club.

"Are you going to the party at Rinconada tonight?" Javier asked Kevin.

Kevin had a very confused look plastered on his face.

"It's the dorm hall a few blocks away from the library."

"Oh. Probably not."

"Why? Where are you staying?"

"I'm staying in Roble."

"Oh, cool. Kate and I are housing at Languita."

"Are you two…?" Kevin asked awkwardly.

"No, we're not together," Javier laughed.

"Yeah, no. Javier lives in the room across from me, so we just hang out when classes are over and stuff."

"Sorry for implying. I don't really know if I'm up for a party, to be honest."

Javier shrugged.

"Alright, your call."

~x~

Literature was rather uneventful, except for the fact that Kate spent most of it staring at Rick and doodling, and he didn't yell at her at all. In truth, though, Rick had done just as much staring.

~x~

When she finally got back to the dorm, Javi went to prepare for the party, and she stepped into her room and dropped her bag and simply sat on the couch for a moment.

What to wear?

Her mind wandered, scanning her closet in her mind.

Shirts, pants, pajamas, dresses.

Dress?

Black, green, white, blue, gray, and the horrid yellow dress that her mother bought for her a few years ago and loved.

The navy blue sundress with different colored flowers. It was no doubt the one to wear tonight.

So she did.

She wore the navy blue sundress and pulled a denim button-up over it, without buttoning it.

She wore the necklace that her father had bought her for her eighteenth birthday, and the ring that her mother had picked out.

She looked herself over in the mirror, getting ready to leave.

She picked up her large shoulder bag and stuffed pajama pants and _TFiOS _for the cab ride, because she knew how uncomfortable she would eventually get.

She stood on the curb just outside of campus and got into a cab.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked.

"Donovan's in Paco Alto, please."

"Alright."

She arrived at the restaurant at exactly seven, where Rick was waiting in the lobby area checking his watch.

He looked up, smiling.

He was wearing a gray button up shirt that made his cobalt eyes a little bit lovier, and a purple tie. He still wore the black slacks from today in class, but he had definitely changed his shirt and tie. He walked towards her.

"You look lovely," he told her.

"Thank you. As do you."

Rick offered her arm, which she took, and they walked to the table together.

"This place is pretty fancy for a discussion," Kate commented about the dim lighting and the expensive looking seats and lights.

"I like to impress, if that's okay with you, Miss Beckett."

_If it was okay?_ Kate thought. _Of course it's okay, you idiot._

"I figured that we could probably talk about ourselves first."

"So this is a date?" Kate teased.

"Only if that's what you'd like to call it, Kate."

Her cheeks flushed, but the blush went away when the waiter asked for their drink orders.

"Just a water for me, please," she suggested.

"First question. How old are you?" he asked.

"I am nineteen. You?"

"Twenty-four," he replied.

It was actually kind of interesting because stick him in a room full of hormonal jocks from New York, and he would have been minced meat.

"Favorite color?" she asked.

"Don't have one. Though I do believe that we should pay attention to the colors during the day, not just beginning and end."

She rolled her eyes.

"_The Book Thief_," she concluded after seconds of scouring her mind for the familiar words. "You can't keep pulling Literature out from your back pocket every time you want to impress me."

He chuckled.

"Okay, fine. Favorite band?"

The conversation continued as a simple game of _20 Questions_, which was kind of nice. To get away and be with someone who understood, and share a slice of chocolate cake with, was different and nice.

Still, it was a first date. Kate knew that she really shouldn't be using that word. Date was a dangerous word. But she had to face it. She had just gone on a date with her Literature professor, and it was brilliant.

Brilliant enough that she ended up at his apartment that evening.

~x~

She woke up to her phone ringing, and she almost wanted to run out the door and get to class until she realized she wasn't in her dorm.

She was lying on the couch, Rick's arms wrapped tight around her. Kate didn't want to move anymore.

She leaned into his chest, feeling more secure with Rick than she had in months at home.

She remembers what happened last night.

The talks about books. The continuous questions. The clock reading one in the morning. Him asking her to "please stay because if she got hurt on the way back, he would hurt himself". Her being thankful for the pajama pants in her bag. Him offering a soft, oversized gray t-shirt for her to wear to bed. Him kissing her just as she fell asleep.

Her phone rang again, so she sighed, gently pulling herself out of Rick's grasp.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"Katie? Why are you whispering?"

"Mom?"

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hmm, this chapter is kind of mostly a filler, except that we have a character introduction. WHOA. Enjoy, and feel free to review!**

* * *

"Katie, is everything okay?" her mom asked.

She looked at Rick nervously. The last thing she needed was her mom checking up on her, when Johanna would be the one person that could _really_ make her feel guilty.

"Yeah, everything's fine. It's just really early."

"Oh, sorry dear. What time is it?"

"It's one in the morning, mom."

Johanna laughed.

"I told you, Jim!"

Kate smiled at the fact that they had discussed calling her.

"Your father just wanted to check up on you."

She swore that she could hear a, "Oh, like you didn't want to, too" in the background.

"I'm fine. How about you guys?"

"Missing you dearly," her father said, indicating that her parents must be in close vicinity. Bed, probably. It would only be four in the morning in New York.

"Are you making friends?" her mother inquired.

"Yes, mom."

"Like…?"

"Javier, Kevin, and Rick."

"Those are all boys," Jim said protectively.

Kate turned her head as Rick groaned.

"Hang on a second, guys."

She left her phone on the kitchen counter and ran towards him.

"Shh. My parents are on the phone, and if they hear you, they will murder me."

Rick nodded slowly, sitting up.

Kate picked up her phone and put it to her ear again.

"So how's New York?"

"Who's Javier?" she heard her father ask.

"It's good," her mother replied. "Jim, quit it!"

"Is everything okay?"

"Your dad wants to take the phone from me so he can ask you about the boys."

"Oh."

"So, how's Literature?"

Kate looked back at Rick for a moment to find him simply rubbing at his eyes sleepily.

"Literature's good. We're reading _The Fault in Our Stars_."

"Haven't you read that book five times?"

Kate laughed.

"Yes, but if that's what the professor wants us to read," Rick's face lit up at the mention of him. "I'll read it."

"That's good. I have to go get ready for work," Johanna's voice lowered. "And I don't want your father to bother you, so I'll just go."

Kate smirked.

"Okay. That's fine."

"Love you, Katie."

"Love you too."

"Bye."

"G'bye."

She clicked 'END' and turned around at Rick.

"Thank you."

He nodded, turning the TV on.

"It's only one. We could go back to sleep," Kate told him, sitting back next to him.

He shook his head, pulling an arm around her.

"It's alright. Maybe something good will be on."

Kate nodded.

"So, are you close with your parents?"

She shrugged.

"I guess you could say that."

"I never was," Rick sighed, pulling Kate closer. "I moved out early on."

Kate remained silent, not really sure what to say.

"I'm from New York, too. My mom didn't want me to leave but I got a scholarship, and they were offering me a teaching job after two years of student teaching, so why not, you know?"

"After two years?"

"_My_ literature teacher recommended me, so I couldn't say no. It was a dream come true. Though my mom was kind of upset."

They remained silent for a little bit longer, until _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire _came on.

"You're a Harry Potter fan, too?" Kate whispered, her head now in his lap as she was laying down on the couch now.

He ran a hand through her hair and answered, "Of course."

~x~

She woke up again, the sun streaming in the room, Rick in the kitchen whistling.

She looked at the time, staring at it.

Eleven forty-three.

She had spent twelve hours in her Literature professor's apartment.

"Your phone's been ringing for an hour," Rick said, flipping a pancake.

She reached over as it rang again.

Javier had texted her twelve times.

_(10:12 am)_

_Are you free today?_

_(10:20 am)_

_Kateee I have surprises_

_(10:35 am)_

_Are you really sleeping in?_

_(10:39 am)_

_Get up, you can't sleep in anymore._

_(10:40 am)_

_Seriously?_

_(10:41 am)_

_Okay, I'm sorry._

_(10:41 am)_

_Okay, not really._

_(10:45 am)_

_Kate?_

_(10:49 am)_

_How are you not awake yet?_

_(10:50 am)_

_Hasn't your phone been ringing?_

_(10:56 am)_

_I found your spare key._

_(11:05 am)_

_Kate, where the hell are you?_

_(11:43 am)_

_Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay. Call me ASAP. Or I'll call the police._

Another ring.

_(11:44 am)_

_Kevin's with me now and we're both freaking out._

She sat up, pulling her messy hair into a ponytail.

"Is everything okay?" Rick asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied sleepily, dialing Javier's number.

"Kate! Holy crap. Where are you? Kev and I are here at your apartment," Javier half-screamed frantically.

"Why?"

"Because I was _going_ to take you on this totally kick-ass tour of San Francisco, since you're new in town and everything."

She stood.

"_What_?"

"I thought it would be nice, you know? Seeing the sights since you and Kevin are new in town."

"You set that up?"

"I have friends in high places," he replied, and she could almost hear the smirk in his voice. "That's what friends do, right? Take other friends on tours of their home towns. Are you okay, though?"

"I am, I'm fine. I'll be there soon. Wait in your room because I have to change, but I swear that we'll get to go."

"Okay, but I expect an explanation over lunch."

She smiled.

"Absolutely."

Javier hung up as she pressed 'END'.

"You have to go?" Rick asked, spatula in hand.

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Javi…so Esposito from class?"

Kate nodded.

"He put together this great tour of San Francisco for me, and he kind of freaked out when I wasn't in my dorm room this morning."

"Oh," he said, watching as she picked up her bag.

"I'm really, really sorry, Rick. I had a lot of fun last night," she whispered. "Call me later, okay?"

Rick nodded.

"I'll see you later," he said.

"Yeah, later."

~x~

They walked through the streets, Kate laughing at a joke that Kevin had told.

"Oh, okay. I hope you're hungry because this is the best diner ever," Javier said, stopping in front of a small restaurant.

He pulled the door open and called out, "Javi's home!"

A head popped through the kitchen door, where a middle-aged woman half-screamed.

"Javier!"

He smiled, running to meet her in a hug.

"Juanita, these are my friends, Kate and Kevin. Kate, Kev, this is Juanita. She makes the best burgers in town."

Juanita smirked, smacking him playfully on the shoulder.

"Juanita was my baby-sitter while my parents were away on business trips."

"Which paid off because now our Javi is lodging at Stanford!" a man said, walking in behind Kate and Kevin.

Their friend's eyes lit up as he wrapped himself in a hug.

"Dad, it's so great to see you."

"Javi, please, it's been barely a month since we last saw you," another woman said, his mother, Kate concluded, from her eyes identical to Javier's. "But we missed you too."

After the introductions, they all sat down to burgers (except for Kevin who just had a milkshake and fries).

"So New York, huh? That sounds pretty spectacular," Javier's mom said excitedly.

"It is, absolutely. The weather here is great, but there's nothing better than waking up to snow covered streets and knowing that you're going to go ice skating at Rockefeller Center later on," Kate replied, a bright smile on her face.

"You are absolutely in love with New York, so why come out to Stanford?"

She shrugged.

"Everyone needs to get away sometimes. It's been a dream, and I'll go back soon enough. I just don't want to have to think about my life and know that I've spent it all in one city, even if it's the greatest in the world."

"Oh, I went to England for a month with my parents, and it was definitely a place that I could see myself living in for the rest of my life," Kevin commented.

"Javi? No way," a voice said, coming from the door. "You're back!"

Javier got out of his seat, pulling the source into a tight hug, almost carrying her.

He kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

"Oh wow, I missed you," she sighed, hugging him again.

She had dark black hair and wore light-washed jeans and a white t-shirt that contrasted against her dark skin.

When he finally let go, he turned to his friends.

"Guys, this is my best friend in the universe, Lanie. Lanie, this is Kate and Kevin. They go to Stanford with me."

"Oh, speaking of which, guess whose parents managed to get her in on time for her to start college _just_ a week late?"

Javier smiled wide.

"No way. You got in?"

"I know! Some lame-o dropped out, so they slipped me in as soon as they could! I'm coming to Stanford this week!"

~x~

"So, just friends?" Kate asked as they were driving back to Stanford.

"Yeah, just friends. We never really had a reason to act on it," Javier replied, turning the wheel so that they could turn right.

"You guys are like a couple, though. Now that you're both at Stanford, maybe you can," Kevin said from the backseat.

"I don't know. We've been best friends since first grade. There's a lot at risk."

"I suppose, but we've all got to take a few risks sometimes, don't we?" Kate spoke to no one in particular.

"I suppose we do."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to all of you for the reviews, just a few responses (because I'm awkward at PMing).**

** Emily92: Oh geez *rubs head, embarrassed*, can you tell that I suck at Google? Thank you for the info, I'll be sure to use it in future chapters! Glad you're enjoying! :3**

** melindaWRITER: OMG DFTBA back at 'cha!**

**But seriously, thank you for all of the support, and even though I'm not replying to all of you, just know that I love_love_love each and everyone of you :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow. I'm sorry for waiting so long to update this. Yay vacation and orientation and whee~! I hope you enjoy this quick little diddy. :)**

* * *

"You can sit next to us," Javier spoke softly.

Kate smirked at her best friend still flirting with the girl of his dreams.

It had been a week since Lanie had begun her attendance at Stanford, and she had finally been transferred into Javi and Kate's Literature class.

Kate and Javier sat in their corner seats, leaving an empty seat next to Javier for Lanie.

They continued to discuss _TFiOS_, going into deeper analysis (which neither Kate nor Lanie had issues with, even though the latter had just entered the class. Javier on the other hand…) about Isaac's importance and what his true role was.

To be honest, Kate and Rick had already discussed the subject on their date last night.

Yes, they had finally admitted that it was a date. Kate couldn't have been happier.

She didn't notice herself slowly drift into a daydream back to the night before.

~x~

"_He was Hazel's best friend before Gus!" Kate argued, wearing Rick's black t-shirt that hung loosely over her frame, along with her navy blue sweatpants._

"_No, he was only there to introduce Augustus," Rick chuckled._

_She faux-pouted, throwing a couch pillow at his face._

"_Hey, watch it! You'll break my glasses."_

_Kate laughed as Rick threw another one, decorated with a Union Jack, back at her._

"_You'll break mine, too," she teased, moving so that she was sitting next to him._

"_And you look absolutely adorable in them," he kissed her quickly on the nose, starting to get up. "So, what movie are we watching tonight?"_

"_You know that it's so difficult for me to do all of my homework before I get here with you, so why would I want to watch a movie?" she asked in mock anger._

_He smiled._

"_Because you choose to," Rick whispered, kissing her again, this time on the forehead._

_She laid back on his couch, watching as he popped in _Marvel's The Avengers_._

"_Again?" she giggled as he climbed behind her so that she was laying against him._

_She felt him shrug and laugh, his chest vibrating under her back._

"_You have to love your nerd, don't you?"_

"_Always," she whispered simply._

_He kissed her hair softly as the movie began._

~x~

"Kate, are you okay?" Lanie asked, lightly pushing at her.

Kate shook her head hastily, looking up at her friend.

"I'm fine, why?"

"You've been staring into space for the last two minutes," she replied, scribbling something in her notebook.

"She always does that," Esposito shrugged.

"Miss Beckett," a silky voice spoke from the front of the room, getting closer. "What is _your_ opinion on Isaac's presence in _The Fault in Our Stars_?"

"Isaac was important because he showed that life goes on after life-altering surgery to remove your eye cancer."

Rick's eyes sparkled with laughter, though his mouth struggled to stay in a straight line.

She smirked at Javier who was chuckling to himself.

"Okay, fine. Isaac was introduced to show that Hazel had some kind of support group, other than her parents, before Gus came along."

Rick turned on his heel, walking back to the front of the class.

"I still think he was only introduced so Gus could come in," he said, causing Kate to giggle into her palms.

At the end of class, Kate was called up to the front of the room when the rest of the class was shuffling out of the classroom.

Javier and Lanie promised to stay near the door and wait for her before lunch.

"That was awesome, Kate," Rick said, after shutting the door.

"Thanks. I have to go, Rick. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," he said, shaking her hand quickly.

He pulled the door open.

"I hope you understand the consequences of your actions, Miss Beckett," Rick said in a voice so professional that it was almost unbelievable.

"Always, Professor Rodgers."

~x~

"Wait, so what did Rodgers say after class?" Javi asked, ordering a burger.

Kevin looked at his friend, masking his slight disgust at the food choice made, and ordered his black bean burger.

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked.

"Kate got pulled to the side by Rodgers today," Lanie shrugged.

They made their way to the table with their food and drinks.

"So?" Kevin said, leaving all of the people waiting.

"He told me that I shouldn't mention dying people," she lied.

Javier half-stared at her.

"Seriously? Rodgers is the lamest," he said. "No one argues with my girl."

Lanie laughed, looking up at him.

"Well, either of my girls."

~x~

Kate stood in her pajamas near the door.

She hadn't had Javier or Kevin over in a few days, and Lanie has been assigned to be her roommate.

"Are you off again?" Lanie asked, walking into the kitchen to make tea.

"I don't know."

Her friend looked over at her.

"You don't know if you're leaving?" she asked, turning back to the tea box. "I think Rodgers would be rather disappointed if you didn't show up."

Kate stopped, staring through her glasses at the girl sipping at her tea.

"What?"

Lanie laughed, wrapping herself deeper into her dark blue hoodie.

"I know that Javi and Kev probably don't know, but we both know that Rodgers is smoking hot," Lanie paused when she saw the look on her roommate's face. "Don't worry, he's yours. It's just that I talked to Kevin in Philosophy and he kind of misses seeing you. If this thing with Rodgers is serious, maybe it's time you tell them."

Kate sighed.

"Maybe I'll just stay in with you guys tonight."

"Kev and Javier are going bowling tonight," Lanie said simply. "But I'll be in."

She dunked another tea bag in Kate's mug.

"I think _The Devil Wears Prada_ is on, if you'd like."

Kate looked towards her phone, ready to text Rick.

"If he likes you this much, he'll text you," Lanie smirked, taking the phone in her hand.

Kate pursed her lips slightly, pulling her cup of tea to her lips as she and Lanie took seats on the couch.

~x~

"And then he asked me to prom! It was amazing. Javi's the absolute sweetest."

"That's so awesome, I never went to—"

There were knocks on the door, so Kate got up to answer it.

"Oh, it's probably just Javi," Lanie commented, sipping her tea. "So what was your prom like?"

Kate didn't respond. Instead, she pulled the door open to see a soaking wet Rick.

"Okay, good. You're alive. I've been texting you for hours. I just needed to make sure you were okay," he blurted, running a hand through the hair that was plastered to his forehead.

She looked at him, dumbfounded.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was so worried. I know that I shouldn't have been, but I was. I know I shouldn't have come, but I needed to see you," he cupped her cheek.

"Sweetie, I'm alright. Did you walk here?"

"No, it's just…it's raining dreadfully. I was only outside for three minutes. Is Javi over?"

Kate heard a phone ring behind her, followed by Lanie's panicked voice.

"No way, is he okay? Of course. Oh my gosh. Yes. We'll be over in ten minutes."

She hung up, starting to run around the room.

Kate turned to Lanie.

"What's wrong?"

"Kevin and Javi. They were on their way back here and their car slipped because they couldn't see. Kevin's got a broken arm and Javi fractured his leg, so neither of them can drive back. We just need to pick them up. Grab your coat, would you?"

She turned intently to Rick.

"You can come too."

~x~

They were sitting patiently in the waiting room, Kevin's arm wrapped in a navy blue cast and Javi's leg seemed normal until he raised his pant leg to reveal a slightly bloodied ace bandage.

They got up, Javier on crutches, and received worried hugs from both Kate and Lanie.

"We're sorry that you had to come. We shouldn't have even gone out in this weather," Kevin said, sulking slightly.

"You two are lucky that you got out of a car crash with just a few broken bones," Kate replied.

The two men froze, seeing that Kate was standing in front of someone.

"Professor Rodgers," Javier's voice came out deeper than usual.

"Javier, glad to see that you're okay. You as well, Kevin."

"Rodgers? As in your Literature professor?"

"Yes. Guys, Rick is my," she took a moment to look back at Lanie and Rick before returning her gaze to her best friends. There was so much trouble to be had if either one of them spilled… "Rick is my Business Law tutor."

Javier smiled.

"Cool. Well, it was great to see you. Kate, how about you grab our car and Lanie can grab ours. We'll sit in with Lanie."

"Okay, sure."

Kevin and Javier walked towards the entrance doors, while Lanie simply looked at Kate and shook her head.

"They'll find out eventually."

* * *

**Again, thank you to all of you who read and special hugs to those who review/follow/favorite! You're all amazing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! I really _really_ apologize for the fact that this only took forever to update. I just started high school and I'm taking an AP class so imagine how stressful that is, plus keeping up with having a social life (lol, jk. Who's got time for that?).**

**So I'm sorry to say that updates will not be as frequent as I had hoped, but I promise that I am working piece by piece whenever I can to update for you guys.**

**Thanks for your patience, guys. Read and review (so that you can guilt me in to writing more! :D)!**

**Disclaimer: All mistakes are mine and only mine. No, I don't own Castle.**

* * *

"And so, I will see you all after Christmas break! Remember that you have to finish up reading and write your analysis paper, you guys. Have fun!"

With that, the whole class shuffled out, including Kate, Javi, and Lanie.

"I can't believe you won't be here for Christmas, Kate! I guess we'll give you your presents at the airport, if that's okay," Lanie said.

"Yeah, that's crazy!"

"Well," Kate began. "It isn't like I'd be able to just drive home, guys. I haven't seen my parents in four months, I have to. I'll be back before New Years', though. We can have a little party in our dorm."

Javier looked at her devilishly.

"No, we can't have an _actual_ party, Javi. Just us," Lanie chastised.

"Right, okay."

~x~

"You headed to Rick's?" Lanie asked, holding two cups of tea.

Kate shrugged.

"No, I don't think so. We said our goodbyes yesterday. He's going back home for Christmas, too."

"Oh, that's cool. What'd he get you?" she said, handing her one.

"He said he would give it to me when we come back."

"What'd you get him?" Lanie asked.

"An 'okay' tie," Kate replied simply. "From _TFiOS_."

Lanie smirked.

"That's cute."

"What'd you get Javi?"

"I don't know what to get him and Christmas is in a week!"

Kate laughed, sitting on the couch.

"What do you want me to do about it? He's your best friend."

"What about a t-shirt? Boys wear…t-shirts," Lanie said pathetically.

"Yes, and so does everyone else, Lanes. Go put on Friends. Maybe Monica and Chandler can give you ideas."

~x~

"Okay, so here's my present!" Kevin said, the four of them gathered in Kate's dorm, as she was preparing to leave for New York.

Kate unwrapped the immaculately wrapped present ("My mom wanted me to learn because my dad couldn't!" Kevin defended when Javier teased him.) to find a gray scarf with purple stripes. She was very thankful as she'd discarded all of her "rebel phase" clothes a few months before she began at Stanford, buying an all-new wardrobe. Her parents weren't that upset about buying new clothes, since they would cover her body parts and look appropriate, versus the previous ones.

Javier ended up getting her a signed copy of _Looking For Alaska _("John Green came out for a book tour last week. I managed to get two, one for me and one for you. You're the only one I know who will probably read it five times"), bidding her goodbye with a tight hug.

Lanie got her the latest season of BBC's Sherlock on DVD, since Kate had spent the last month complaining about wanting to watch it over and over again and never getting the chance.

Kate handed her presents out.

Kevin was presented with the last three seasons of How I Met Your Mother and the first season of Friends because his parents never really approved of TV watching in general, so this was the time to start cramming all of the best shows in.

Javier received an NYU sweatshirt that he'd asked for jokingly sometime in the second month of study groups ("Purple? It's awesome, sure. But you couldn't get me a gray one?" he complained, a wide smile still on his face).

Lanie smirked at the white mug that had a simple black mustache on it, because let's face it, Lanie lived for her tea. She was also pleased to find _Music and Lyrics_ because it was definitely one of her favorite movies of all time, and she had also spent too much time whining about wanting to watch it and not having Netflix.

"Okay, chica. We've got to get you to the airport if you're going to make your plane."

~x~

An hour later, Kate found herself sitting alone in Terminal 7.

She sat, running her hand over _Looking for Alaska_, because she had meant to read it, always putting it off.

Her phone rang, and she found herself both ecstatic and disappointed when she noticed it was her mother calling.

She pulled her phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Katie! I can't wait to see you! Are you getting on the plane yet?"

"No, I still have an hour or so. I'll be there tomorrow, though."

"That's great. So, Rockefeller first, right? I think it'll be a blast."

"Absolutely."

"Wonderful, sweetie. Well, I've got to go. The Peters case and all that. See you tomorrow!"

With that, she opened the book to see John's signature scribbled on the title page.

~x~

The next day, she arrived at JFK Airport with her mother and father awaiting her after she'd picked up her luggage.

The three of them were wrapped in a tight hug before they loaded Jim Beckett's car that was rarely ever used.

Kate threw her bags in the dark blue BMW's trunk and slipped into the backseat.

Her mother handed her a pair of black ice skates, and immediately, Kate smirked.

She was going back to the one thing that she could remember loving about her childhood.

The cold air that burned her face. The way the little kids tended to cling to the walls, and the better you were, the closer you drifted to the middle.

The couples would be there, wandering in between the people who skated every day and the beginners, holding hands. The occasional proposal would occur, hopefully (and usually) ending with "Yes!" and what seemed like a million "Aw"s.

She always skated in line with those holding hands, guys awkwardly trying to look cool while they slipped in front of their girlfriends and their girlfriends simply laughing hysterically and trying to hold them up.

After a while in the car, not that she'd noticed, because she was reading during the ride, they arrived at the Beckett's apartment building where they parked the car in the garage and then walked to Rockefeller Center where the tree was already up brightly and tons of tourists were buzzing and flitting about, little kids chasing one another and the skating groups were already formed, even though it was only seven in the morning.

She slipped on Kevin's scarf and her black skates and stepped into the rink.

Her parents soon followed her, getting lost in the sea of couples.

She allowed herself a moment to remember Rick and shook her head quickly, trying to focus on her strides in order to avoid bumping into little kids that were gliding swiftly around her.

She hadn't gone skating in a long time because Javi and Lanie had never been, and Kevin had only been once, but apparently he sucked at avoiding other people since he had only ever skated with his parents on the pond outside of his house.

She wasn't actually sure why Rick had never mentioned taking her out on a skating date.

All at once, Kate crashed down for the first time in the last eight years of her skating experience.

"Oh, wow. Sorry. I should have been paying attention."

"Kate?"

"Rick?"

"Rick, darling," a flamboyant familiar looking woman with bright orange hair who was older than them called after him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, mother," he replied, pulling himself up, in turn pulling up Kate.

"Richard is just the clumsiest boy around, aren't you Ricky?" the woman said, patting his head.

"Sure, mom."

"And you are…? You wouldn't be interested on going on a date with him, would you?"

"Mother! I would like to ask you to please step away. If I want to ask her on a date, I will," he said, smirking at his mother as she skated away.

"You're here?" Kate asked finally, a wondrous look in her eyes.

"Yeah, I am," he replied, taking three long strides.

Kate followed after him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to New York too?"

"You never asked, Kate," he said, continuing to stride.

"Did you not want me to meet your mom? I don't think she would tell on us."

She immediately regretted that statement, purely because she felt the age difference between her and Rick heavily upon her shoulders.

"My mom's a nutter, sweetie. You wouldn't want to have a real conversation with her."

"I think I would, though. She seems sweet."

"It's all _acting_."

Acting caused bells to ring in her head and it made her almost freeze.

"Your mom has really bright orange hair," she remarked.

"Yeah? So?"

"And your last name is Rodgers."

"That it is, Katie."

"Your mom is Martha Rodgers."

He didn't reply. In fact he took five extra strides, creating considerable distance in between him and his girlfriend.

"Why'd you have to figure it out?" he whispered to himself.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! See you next chapter! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: You people are wonderful! 102 follows and 42 favorites? I'm absolutely honored! Wow, you guys really are good at guilting me into writing.**

**I think what I'll do is write on my phone during bus rides and just edit on my computer. Therefore you can blame autocorrect (okay, not really but take it).**

**Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who reads and/or reviews! You're all brilliant!**

~x~

Her phone vibrated, so she cautiously pulled it out of her cost pocket, looked in front of her, then pulled to the side to read the text received.

_Katie, we've gotta go. -Mom_

She nodded, tucking her phone back into her coat and began to take large strides to catch up with Rick.

"I'm leaving now. Can I text you?" Kate asked, pulling at his jacket.

He took a deep breath.

"My mom's crazy, Kate. She is, but I love her. I do," he sighed, slowing to match her pace. "I just don't like it when people figure out who she is. I don't want to be known as Martha Rodger's son. I wanna be Rick."

"Rick, I get it. That's fine."

He smiled. "Do you wanna meet her? For real?"

Kate nodded.

"Great," he said as they neared the exit of the rink. "Is tomorrow okay? She'll want you to swing by the loft, so I'll text you the address."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow," she replied, stepping out of the rink.

"See you tomorrow."

They hugged, and Kate returned to her parents and Rick to his mother.

"Who's that?" Jim asked as his daughter sat down to pull her skates off.

She laughed nervously.

"Rick," she muttered quickly.

"How do you know him?"

"Jim, would you quit it? At least this boy looks at least half normal!" Johanna said, insulting Kate's past boyfriends.

A brief Kate Beckett Ex-Boyfriend History Lesson: They all wore black coats in the middle of summer, black skinny jeans and all-black sneakers. Several had face piercings and tattoos, and none lasted longer than three months. There were twenty-eight in all, only two, Trevor and Spike (real name Patrick) made it to the dinner table. Neither made it through the night. Oh yes, a third made it too. The truest exception of all.

Josh Davidson. Relationship lasting one year, as well as several dinners, always making it through the night. He wore sweater vests and ties and khakis and slacks. Kate liked his motorcycle and dealt with him because her parents were the happiest they'd been in the last three years of boyfriends.

"Well, yes, I suppose he is. Do you know him?" Jim asked.

"He's um," she began, looking back at her boyfriend laughing with his mother. "He's a friend. I'm actually going to dinner with him tomorrow night."

"Yeah? Would he like to come over on Thursday night?" Johanna wondered.

"I'd have to ask him, but sure."

~x~

Tuesday passed in a blur.

After Rockefeller Center, they headed off to Magnolia's Bakery where Kate ordered Key Lime Cheesecake and her parents shared a tub of Banana Pudding. Then they headed to Central Park to take a walk ("We've gotta work that pudding off of your dad somehow!"). Jim got tickets for the three of them to watch the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular which they watched every year around this time. Her mother stopped off at a market to pick up some food to cook for dinner, and her father and her wandered off to get Johanna's present because Jim never was good at getting gifts. They dropped by a Ruby Tuesdays for a late lunch, and then ended at about five back home.

The Becketts' apartment was big enough for the three of them, with a guest bedroom. It seemed cleaner and more empty now that Kate's study items no longer littered the place.

"Why don't you go unpack," Johanna said. "And we'll go get dinner started."

Accustomed to her parents habits of cooking dinner even though they'd just eaten (Johanna's a lawyer and they both come home on an erratic schedule, so they cooked for days usually. "Best to cook on an empty stomach," Jim would say. "So you don't eat all of it up before the week's done!"), Kate picked up her bags and sauntered into her room. Down the hall, third door on the right.

She pushed the white door open, smiling at the emerald bed sheets that contrasted with her purple ones at Stanford. The room was quieter than at Stanford because she didn't have Lanie asking if she'd seen where her tea went, or Javi complaining about all the homework, or Kevin asking where the best place was to hide a box of tea, hypothetically, of course.

As she emptied out her bags, she could only think of one thing.

This time tomorrow, she'd be having dinner with Rick and Martha Rodgers.

Johanna and her had spent hours at a time watching her movies, and here was Kate, you know, just dating her son.

No.

No time for anyone to be calling Rick "Martha Rodgers' son".

Then the next evening, her family would be crowded around a table, her father would probably be very protective, but Rick was exactly like Josh, if not better. Her parents would like him very much. That is, if they weren't breaking any laws and risking their jobs and educations just being together.

This would be a _very _interesting week.

~x~

Finally, the evening in which she would dine with Rick and his famous mother fell upon her, and she bid her parents goodbye and followed the address given to her by Rick.

She arrived at the Upper East Side apartment, where she pushed through the rotating doors, entered the elevator, and pushed P ("Penthouse? Seriously?" she had asked excitedly.).

She wrung her hands, constantly rubbing her hands on her tan cardigan and straightening her salmon collared tank top. As she walked, her flats felt heavier and her black jeans felt like they were holding her legs together.

She'd had plenty of boyfriends, as mentioned before, but she'd never met any of their parents. Not even Josh's.

This was a first. A first that she'd hoped to ignore for a few more year. A first that she hadn't really want to share with her English professor/boyfriend.

She knocked on the door, where Rick, in a black button up shirt and a green tie pulled it open.

"Hi, Katie. Come on in."

Kate entered the penthouse suite, and Rick took her hand.

"You'll be okay with this?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Let's hope so."

~x~

"Rick, so when is your girlfriend stopping—" Martha began, walking down the steps, when she found her son kissing his girlfriend's temple.

"Mom," Rick said with a smile, stepping forward. "This is my girlfriend, Kate."

"This is the girl from Rockefeller, no?" the older woman said, spinning until she was standing before Kate and putting her hand out.

"Nice to meet you, Kate."

"And you, Mrs. Rodgers."

She waved her off.

"Oh please, dear. Call me Martha. I haven't been called Mrs. Rodgers since Ricky was a teenager. Well, the dining room is this way," Martha explained, walking down a corridor.

When they arrived in the dining room, a chicken was baked and there was Caesar salad sitting next to it.

"We also have cheesecake for dessert, dear. Rick told me it was your favorite."

Kate looked at Rick who simply smiled.

"I know it's not much, but I cooked it. Mother tossed the salad, and we figured, hell, there's only three of us anyway."

Rick's mother slapped him lightly on his arm.

"You shouldn't curse in front of your girlfriend, son. Gentlemen never do."

He murmured an apology and pulled a seat out for Kate.

~x~

The three ate, Rick and his mother having a conversation about a book that Kate had yet to read. _Paper Towns._

"You have to understand, John Green is Rick's hero. He's read all of his books, sweetheart. Don't be surprised if Mr. Green writes a new one and Rick locks himself in his apartment for days. He reads it and then re-reads it twice."

Rick blushed slightly.

"_Looking For Alaska _is definitely one of my favorites," Kate replied simply, placing her hand on top of Rick's.

"So how did you two meet again?" Martha asked.

"She was in my Lit class, mother."

Kate looked down, half-worried that Martha would tell, and half-nervous that the older woman would simply disapprove.

"Oh, don't you worry dear. I've been in a few student-teacher relationships of my own."

"Mother!"

"Please, Richard. Now, would you eat your green beans?"

Kate stifled a laugh and continued to pick at her chicken.

~x~

"Well, it was wonderful meeting you, Kate."

"It was my pleasure, Martha. Thanks for having me."

"Absolutely no problem. Rick, you'll walk her out?"

"Yes, mother."

They walked down the stairs, as to prolong their togetherness for more than the three minutes the elevator would provide.

"You did really well, Kate," Rick said, pulling an arm around her.

"Thanks. Now we only have to get through tomorrow night, right?"

"Yes, right. Of course we'll get through it."

As they stood on the curb, Rick hailing a cab.

"Remember, you have to be at my parent's place at seven. The last boyfriend was very punctual. Oh, and wear blue. Dad's obsessed with all of this psychological mumbo jumbo. And wear your glasses and a tie because mom likes professional looking guys. Don't forget to—"

He kissed her quickly as a cab pulled up.

"I know. Thank you for the warnings, but I've got this. You and I are going to do this and get back to Stanford."

"Where I'll hide it from my friends, too," Kate sighed.

Rick looked at her sadly.

"You know that we can't tell them. I know that you trust them, Kate. And if you trust them, I do. It's just that it's way too dangerous. That's my job and your career on the line," he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you, and you know I do. People don't approve of us. We need to just keep it a secret until the end of the year. We can do that, can't we?"

"It's only December."

"Kate, it'll be okay. Get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

~x~

**A/N: Responses and thank yous and such~**

**melindaWRITER: Ah! Sorry that you got confused! Thank you, thank you! (Johanna _is _a lawyer, though, and Kate's an only child. My headcanon is that Jim and her always send WAY too much money every month (probably like a hundred fifty per month) and Kate had been planning to buy Kevin something extravagant, seeing as she WAS his first friend at Stanford, so she put little bits of money away at a time.)**

**Lily: This actually made me laugh so hard! :)**

**Thank you again to everyone! You're spectacular. Hopefully a longer chapter next time! :D **


	7. Chapter 7

AND NOW WE SHALL WRITE A CHAPTER IN RICK'S POV. Just because they don't know everything about each other doesn't mean you can't.

**A/N: I meant for this chapter to be longer when I started writing it, but then this chapter felt weird to write and idk why so I'm shipping them back to California in the next chapter.**

**FILLER WARNING BECAUSE I'M SUPER BORING.**

~x~

"Hm. You must be Rick."

The older man stuck out his hand, waiting until Rick shook it firmly.

"Yes sir, Mr. Beckett."

"Well, then. Welcome to our home," Kate's dad said, a threatening sound in his voice.

Rick had taken Kate's advice to wear a blue tie and a white shirt, which was probably the reason why Kate's mother had been so polite to him.

"Rick, it's so nice to finally meet you."

"And you, Mr. and Mrs. Beckett."

As they sat down at the table, the tension felt heavy, but Jim's face seemed to relax as Rick pulled out Kate's chair for her.

"So, how did you two meet?" Johanna asked, picking at her salad

"Oh," Rick said, looking over at Kate. "She was in my Literature class."

"Ah, so you've read _The Fault in Our Stars_, too? A man of words is a man of power," Johanna said.

Jim rolled his eyes as Rick took in a piece of steak.

They continued their conversations, Johanna and Rick going off on tangents about a book series that had never intrigued Kate, and Jim was not a reader in general.

"Perhaps you could come for dinner again on Christmas?"

Rick smiled, glad that he had made acquaintances with Kate's mother.

"Afraid I can't, Mrs. Beckett. I'm spending it with my mother."

"Hm, well do tell Miss Martha that we said hello," Jim said in a strange voice.

"How did you know my mother was Martha?" Rick asked.

"I'm afraid to tell you this, Rick, but you and your mother have the same eyes. No way anyone doesn't know, unless they haven't seen your mother," Johanna explained.

Rick half-smiled.

"I'll walk you out, Rick," Kate said, pulling her present off of a shelf near the door.

Again, they stepped out of an apartment building together.

"I think they like me. Or your mom does, at least," Rick commented.

"She seems to be infatuated."

Rick hailed a taxi, kissing Kate softly on the head.

"It's Christmas Eve tomorrow," she whispered. "So I got you this."

Rick did not open the present that had just been handed to him. He only stared at his girlfriend and smiled.

"See, we did it. We survived the family meetings."

"I survived it," she reminded him. "You've still got one more parent to impress."

"Not to mention the best friends, right?"

Kate laughed.

"Right."

"Thank you, Kate."

She looked at him, confusion dazing her.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"You make me see the world through different eyes."

"You're quoting Wicked now? That's so smooth, Rick," she joked, until she realized he wasn't laughing, but instead reaching into his coat pocket.

She put her hand on the arm that was pulling out the tickets, her eyes flickering to his.

"You didn't."

He smiled, waving his present in front of her.

A part of her wanted to ask him how he got them on such short notice, another already knew the answer—Martha. Still another part wanted to ask him if he knew what he was getting in to.

And to be honest, he did.

~x~

_Last night._

"I think that went rather well, don't you think, dear?" Martha asked as she scrubbed at the dishes.

"Yeah, I do."

"Does Victoria know?"

Rick didn't reply, only drying the dishes with a towel.

Martha turned to her son, wishing she had the towel so she could hit him.

"Richard, I thought I raised you better. If the Dean of Admissions doesn't know, hell, if none of the Deans know, you two could in heaps of trouble!"

He placed a glass into the cupboard, closing it and sitting at the table where his mother soon joined him.

"I know that this is dangerous, mother. We both know that."

"Do her parents know?"

"No, I don't believe so."

"Richard…"

"I know, mother," he sighed, taking his face in his hands, standing up. "I know. It's crazy and it's idiotic and it's terrible, but dammit. I love her."

Martha watched as her son ruined his hair by running his fingers through it repeatedly.

"Does she know that?"

"I hope so."

~x~

The next day, Christmas Eve, arrived with the quiet rustling of, Rick guessed, his mother, and the smell of pancakes.

He slipped his glasses on, checked his phone, and got out of bed.

"Morning, Richard!"

"Mother."

"Merry Christmas Eve!"

"I don't think that actually counts as a holiday, mother."

Martha looked appalled in her red and green robe with matching pajamas underneath.

"Of course it counts!"

Rick only mumbled, kissing her on the cheek, then claiming a seat at the breakfast bar.

"Pancakes, dear?" she asked, holding out a plate of half-burnt shapes that were most definitely not circles.

"Sure. Have we got any coffee?"

"'Fraid not. You'll have to run out and get some a little later. What did Kate think of her gift?"

"Loved it. She can't wait to go," Rick said, looking up at the clock. "Oh, it's already eleven. I've got to get dressed, mother."

He ran up the stairs and went back to his old room, pulling on another button-up shirt. Purple today. Dark purple with a plaid black and white tie, because that's Kate's favorite tie.

No, wait.

He reached for a black button-up shirt and the tie that Kate had gotten him.

It was blue, the color of the book cover, with black and white clouds, with one at the bottom reading "OKAY."

He changed into the black shirt and brought the tie around his neck, smiling.

She was brilliant, wasn't she?

~x~

"I'm glad you liked your present, then," Kate said happily as they took their seats.

"I'm glad you like yours."

She smiled as the curtains were drawn up and Glinda appeared on the stage.

~x~

**Okay. I'll admit that I should have written more on my days off, but there are just so many books to read.**

**Also, I'm sorry that this is a filler, but I plan on writing the next chapter tonight, hopefully throwing it up on Saturday before homecoming.**

**Reviews will make me feel guilty and I'll write more! (Okay, probably not that much. Again, I'm sorry.)**

~x~

**OH YEAH! If you picked up _The Fault in Our Stars _or any John Green book, tell me in the reviews how you thought it was!**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: This chapter was meant to be rushed in order to accentuate Kate's confusion. **

**Also, there will be confrontations in the next chapter. This is angst, I guess. I had planned to work in the last parts, though. I just couldn't find out when. I figured since we gave Kate happiness, it was time to balance it out. Don't hate me, review instead! :)**

* * *

"Kate!"

There was a lot of hugging.

Javier, Kevin, and Lanie, all hugging her tight, all at once.

She smiled upon seeing her best friends, but couldn't help looking out the corner of her eye.

There was Rick, carrying his suitcase, a soft smile on his face, a hand put up.

_See you later._

As they all backed away, they asked a lot of questions.

_How was New York?_

_How was your mom?_

_How were the boys?_

"Beautiful, good, beautiful-er."

Kevin and Javier took Kate's bags, and Lanie led them, talking to Kate about her not-date with Javi.

The California weather had Kate peeling her peacoat off and tucking her scarf into her purse.

"You'll never believe who was on Kevin's plane to Illinois, Kate. Mila Kunis! She was actually on his plane!" Javi said excitedly.

"I said there was a girl who looked like her. She might have just been another girl, you know?"

Lanie only laughed.

"How about we stop by In-N'-Out before we head home?" she asked.

Kate smiled.

"Best idea since I've been home."

~x~

"I just love Martin Freeman so much," Kate sighed, a pillow to her chest, sitting with her legs crossed in front of the TV in her pajamas.

"Don't forget Zooey Deschanel. She makes the movie, remember?" Javier replied, sighing.

"You people are seriously ruining _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ for me. This is my favorite movie. Isn't that enough?" Kevin asked, stretched out on the sofa.

"Of course, Kev," Lanie chuckled, patting him on the head on her way back to her seat on the floor behind Kate.

"Dude, look at the clock!"

_11:50._

"Turn on the New Years' Eve Ball Drop before we miss it!" Lanie exclaimed.

Kate flipped the channel, a crowd of people in her beloved Times Square staring at the shining mirror ball on the top of the building, just waiting to fall.

They handed out sparklers and headed out of the dorm hall at 11:58 pm to join the rest of the pajama-clad campus in ringing in the New Year.

They watched as the other dorm buildings emptied outside, everyone counting down.

Kate stared across the crowd, searching for him. The odds of him being there were almost nonexistent. He was probably sitting at home with a cup of coffee, dealing with the jet lag.

And still, her eyes wandered during the countdown.

_Ten! Nine!_ The campus chorused.

Lanie and Javier clasped their hands together.

_Eight!_

He had to be here somewhere.

_Seven!_

He would kiss her Happy New Year.

_Six!_

Right?

_Five! Four! _

All of the people cuddling up because of the cold…

_Three! Two!_

Where?

_One!_

And at that, she stopped searching in the nearly pitch black night, turning instead to see Javier and Lanie kiss, and Kevin move to kiss the girl next to him, a girl named Jenny from Criminology that he'd been crushing on since October. She stood near the wall a few yards away from her friends, watching as sparklers lit and people kissed, and she wished only to—

"Happy New Year, stranger," a familiar voice whispered in her ear, spinning her on her heels and kissing her gently.

She smiled against his lips, leaning into him as her friends only watched, unable to see his face in the darkness and his hood up.

"Happy New Year," she whispered back to him, hugging him tight. "I love you, Rick."

"I love you, too," he sighed in her ear. "Now, I've gotta run before someone sees me. See you tomorrow."

With that, he kissed her on the forehead and stalked away back to his car.

"Was that Rick?" Lanie asked softly, just loud enough that only Kate could hear her.

Kate nodded quickly.

"Who was that?" Javier spoke, his voice a little dry from kissing the girl he'd loved for years.

"No one. Just…just some guy."

"Alright, well let's head in, then," Lanie said.

"I'll be right there," Kevin called, still talking with Jenny.

"I'll wait for him," Kate said, waving her friends off. "We'll see you upstairs."

"So, I'll call you tomorrow?" her friend smiled shyly, a hand rubbing at the back of his head.

"Yeah. Do that, okay?" Jenny said, a hand on his arm. "I'll see you then."

She then proceeded to run after her friends.

Kevin turned to Kate.

"I can't believe that actually happened," he exhaled.

"I'm happy for you, Kev," she clapped a hand on his back.

"I'm happy for you too, Kate. You and Rodgers are a good pair."

Kate stopped walking, staring at him as he walked ahead of her.

"What? Don't tell me you think I'm _that_ out of place here. I saw him wave to you at the airport. Teachers don't just wave to students at airports, and boyfriends don't just stalk away in the dark. It's okay, Kate. Your secret's safe with me."

Somehow, though, she felt guiltier about her secret not even coming around to Javier.

Javier _was_ her best friend since her first day at Stanford, and he'd never left her behind. He'd always stuck with her, and she'd never even mentioned anything to him.

~x~

They spend the next few days in the dorm hall, Lanie and Kate sleep in their room, and Kevin sleeps over at Javi's.

"Okay, I personally think that Rodgers is being a loon making us do this analysis over break. Someone needs to get that guy laid."

Kate remained silent as she felt Lanie and Kevin's eyes burning holes through her.

"You guys okay?"

"Fine. We're fine."

"Yeah, someone should get him laid," Kate murmured.

Javier shook his head, going back to typing.

"What do you think about Van Houten, then?"

"He was just misunderstood, I think," she replied.

"You know what, I left my phone over at Javi's, and Jen might text me. I'll be right back," Kevin said disappearing into the hallway.

Lanie sipped at her milkshake.

"I think they're cute."

Javier laughed, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Kate stood up, moving to their mini-fridge and grabbing a soda.

"They'll last, I hope. He's Kev's first girlfriend, guys."

Javier just shook his head again and asked more questions about Isaac.

~x~

_Two weeks later…_

"I can't come over today. I have too much work," she groaned.

"Kate, I haven't seen you since New Years' Eve!"

"Look, Rick. I can't come over because there's just too much to do. Lanie wants to work on Kevin's surprise party, Javi's got some French homework that he needs help with, and I've got to finish your stupid analysis paper! I've got to go!"

She huffed, pressing the END button.

It had been a far too busy day with Lanie breathing down her neck.

"Kate, do you think we need blue or black table covers?"

"Kate, do you think we should get streamers?"

"Kate, do you think we should invite his parents?"

"What about Jenny?"

"We should, right? His girlfriend should come."

"So I think we should get Javi to take him bowling for a little."

Kate had only replied with agreeing moans and nods.

Javier had called her as soon as she woke up with a question about the novel they had to read for French, something about "not getting any of it at all."

Her phone rang, and she groaned, still unlocking it anyway to see the text.

**2:31 pm**

**Rick: You really think it was stupid?**

She tossed her phone on her bed, sighing out of frustration.

Her phone rang again, and she knew she really shouldn't (she really needed to finish this paper), but she got up and looked at the text.

**2:35 pm**

**Rick: Shit. Check the news. I'm so sorry, Kate.**

Kate was confused, but she turned the TV on and flipped it to the news.

A photo of her mother in an alley, stabbed and bleeding out.

"…dead in an alley. Any information would benefit the NYPD. Call our hotline at…"

She changed the channel.

"…Johanna Beckett was forty-nine, leaving behind a daughter and a husband…"

And the next.

"Breaking News: A forty-nine year old lawyer, Johanna Beckett, was found stabbed in a New York City alley this morning. Time of death is confirmed to be sometime around two am..."

Lanie walked into the room and watched the TV screen, an image of a dead woman on the screen.

"Beckett? Johanna Beckett? Is that your mom?"

Kate only swallowed, fighting back a tear, then rushing back to her bed and calling her dad.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Hi."

"Dad! Dad, are you o—"

"This is Jim Beckett. I'll get back to you soon."

Then their old house phone.

_Ring. Ring._

"Hey, you've reached the Becketts," her mother's voice spoke fluidly. "We'll get back to you."

And then her mom's.

No ring.

No gentle, "Hey, Katie!"

No angry, "Katie, where the hell are you?"

No mother promising, "It'll all be okay, Katie."

Just silence.

Silence followed by: "_This phone has been disconnected._"

Kate felt dizzy, even lying in her bed.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't help what happened next.

She couldn't help that she called Rick to come over now.

She couldn't help that Javier had walked in on Rick crushing her in a hug.

~x~

"Dad, call me back as soon as you can."

"Dad."

"Dad, it's me, Kate. Don't tell me you've been to Donovan's again. It's not healthy."

"Da—?"

"Dammit, Kate. Can't you see that I'm busy? You can't leave messages every three seconds! Your mom's gone, and you've got to face it," his words were unpleasantly slurred. "And I'm at Donovan's. I'm perfectly fine." His voice faded slightly, as though he had pulled the phone away from his mouth. "Another one, Pete!"

"Dad, do you want me to get over there?"

"Why would I need you?"

She knew that she really shouldn't have been as terrified to hear this sentence pour out of his mouth. He was drunk. He wasn't him. He wasn't her dad.

A click on the other line indicated that he had hung up on her after a few seconds of silence.

Kate looked up at her whole world, her best friends surrounding her, Javier not saying anything about Rick wrapped around her, crumbling around her.

She had started her day determined to finish this paper. Annoyed at Lanie for having to plan a surprise party. Pissed at Javi for waiting to read the novel three days before school came back. Hating Rick for assigning this paper.

Now she wished that those were the only things that were ruining her life.

How she wished it to be all that she had to worry about.

~x~

She fell asleep with Lanie, Javi, and Kevin on the floor around her bed and Rick attached to her still.

She still felt dizzy and confused and it all felt so sudden.

She felt sick.

She felt lost.

And then she felt numb.

* * *

**Input and opinions are greatly appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! I am so sorry this took forever to update! I rewrote this chapter twice, left the country, rewrote the chapter again, caught up with homework, rewrote the chapter AGAIN, and here it is. I'm still not sure if I'm satisfied, but I think...I dunno. Read and review (and also, thanks for sticking around-or if you're new to the story, welcome)!**

* * *

She spent one week in bed at Rick's apartment, lying with him when he came home from teaching classes.

He was only taught five classes, two on Tuesday, one on Thursday (which is the one that Kate attended) and two on Friday. Though any time before, in between, and after, was spent with Kate.

During that one week, she called her dad, watched Sherlock, watched How I Met Your Mother, read three of the five John Green books (_Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, _and of course, _The Fault in Our Stars_), and completed all of her assignments. At the end of the night, Rick would have fed her pizza or Chinese food and would be wrapped around her as they slept.

But when she woke up on Monday morning, a week and three days after her mother's death, Kate slipped out of Rick's grasp, stood from the bed, collected her belongings and returned to her and Lanie's dorm room.

She showered, got dressed, applied her make-up, made sure her homework was all there and made coffee before Lanie was up.

Her roommate entered into the kitchen, almost reaching for a knife when she spotted Kate.

"Kate! The hell are you doing here, Becks? You still have a week to cool off."

"I'm going back to class, Lanie. I need to continue on with my life."

Kate passed Lanie a mug.

"Thanks. You don't have to do anything. You could lie around on a roof and no one would care, Kate. Are you sure you just want to go back?"

"Yes. Don't treat me any differently. I'm fine."

Lanie shrugged, placing a tea bag in her mug before enveloping Kate in a hug.

"I missed you."

~x~

"So Kevin completely face plants, Jenny laughs, and Lanie is freaking out like she's Kev's mom, ya know? He managed to leave the skate park with only a sprained wrist, but damn, it was hilarious," Javier said, recalling a story that was bringing him, Lanie, and Kevin to tears.

Kate faked a laugh, convincing enough for everyone to believe.

"And when I fell, this little kid came up to me and asked if I was stupid. Lanie shot daggers at him. Holy crap, Kate, it was hilarious."

"That's awesome. You're okay though, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kevin sighed, wiping away a happy tear. "You are to, Kate. We would have visited you more often, but Rodgers asked Lanie and Javi to let him deal with it. He was really concerned, but he didn't want them falling behind."

"And then Javi punched him in the face," Lanie recalled. "Told him that if he ever hurt you, he was going to get even worse. Rodgers said he would never hurt you."

Well, that explained Rick's bruised cheek from Tuesday.

Javier didn't reply except for a small smile that tugged at his lips.

"I'm going to go pay for the food," Javi said. "Be back soon."

"You need to talk to him, Kate."

"What do you mean?"

"He hasn't talked to Lanie at all in the past week. Only in Literature because otherwise, it would have been too obvious," Kevin informed. "He missed you like hell, sure, but he's torn that he wasn't told sooner about Rick."

Javier returned to the table before Kate could reply.

"You're buying Chinese tonight, Kate. Or Indian. Maybe Mexican. There's this amazing place on Main Street."

"Of course, Javi."

~x~

A phone call changed Kate's life a week ago.

Another one would be all it took to make her go back to where she belonged—with her father.

"Katie?" a voice said.

"Her boyfriend speaking."

"Oh, I'm calling about Jim. I need to talk to her."

Rick turned his head towards the bathroom where Kate had disappeared.

"Uh, she's busy right now. Could I…take a message?"

"She can call this number. Just…tell her it's Dean."

"Oh, thank you, then."

Kate exited the bathroom at that moment wearing a button-down shirt and jeans, towel-drying her hair.

"Who was that?"

"It was someone calling about your dad."

"Someone?" Kate asked, tossing the towel on the back of the chair.

"Dean or something."

Her eyes widened and she picked up her phone, dialing quickly.

"Who's Dean?"

"Dean's my dad's best friend. He's taking care of him right now."

"Oh."

"Katie?" Rick heard from the other line of the phone. "Katie? It's Dean."

"Hi, Dean. Rick told me you called?"

"His name's _Rick_? Seems very ordinary for you, Katie."

"He's anything but. How's dad?"

Dean sighed. "He's kind of passed out on my couch right now, Kate. I know you're busy studying and becoming a genius and all that, but he needs you. He's lost the love of his life, and you're kind of all he has left."

"I know. I've…I'm working on it."

"Look, Kate. I'm really sorry about your mom. I know the last thing you should be doing is travelling cross-country from your friends and boyfriend, but this is the third night your dad's done this. We're lucky the bartender at MacLaren's called me to pick him up."

"I know."

"Should I buy you a ticket, Katie?"

"I'll handle it."

"Katherine."

"Dean."

"Okay. Please just do this quickly. I don't want your father to do something too…impulsive."

"Thank you for calling me."

"Thank you for answering."

And with that, the room became silent.

"You're leaving?" Rick asked.

"I have Criminology. Can we talk about this when I get back?" Kate said, walking back into the bathroom and brushing her hair.

"I…Kate, please."

She took a deep breath and walked out to stand in front of Rick.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Rick sighed, but nodded.

"Okay. Do you need a ride?"

"No, I'll take a taxi. It's fine."

"See you."

She kissed him quickly, picked up her bag, and disappeared into the hallway.

Rick sighed, running his fingers through his hair out of frustration.

~x~

"I didn't see Rick drop you off this morning. What was that about?" Javier asked as they walked back to the dorm using Kate's dirt path, Lanie and Kevin staying behind for a meeting at the library.

"It was nothing. I just needed some…thinking time."

"Thinking time?"

"Yeah, you know. Time to think," Kate shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me about Rick earlier?"

"I would have."

Javier stopped in front of the bench where Kate and Rick had had breakfast so long ago.

"But you didn't."

"You were my first best friend here, Javi. I didn't…I didn't know how to say it to you without it sounding so terrible. He's our professor, you know? And you're my best friend. The last thing I needed was…"

"Okay. It's fine. Come on, Kate."

"Hold on. Will this fix you and Lanie?"

Javier chuckled roughly.

"There's nothing to fix, Kate. She lied to me, but that's it."

"I lied to you, too. She was lying for me."

"Like I said. There's nothing to fix."

"Nothing left? You guys can be a real couple in front of everyone. You guys have been best friends forever. You've loved her for years, Javi. How can you let that go?"

"I'm not letting go. I still love her. Just because I'm pissed that she didn't tell me doesn't mean I don't love her anymore. We're still together, but I'm pissed. She needs to see that."

"She sees it."

Javier nodded.

"I get your point. Can we go home now?"

~x~

She was wrapped tight in Rick's embrace when her cell phone rang again.

Kate slipped out of his grasp easily, feeling around the nightstand for her phone.

"Hello?" she whispered, reminiscent of the first night she had spent with Rick.

"It's Dean."

"I know."

"Night four."

"I know."

"Did you buy the ticket yet?"

"No."

"Katie, you have to."

"I'm just saying my goodbyes."

~x~

"We never talked about it, Kate," Rick sighed, handing Kate a cup of coffee when she left the bathroom.

"I know."

"So?"

"I have to go, Rick. I'm sorry," she spoke easily, sipping her coffee.

"I understand, Kate. I get it. You'll come back?"

"Of course I will," she shook her head, kissing him. "I'll come back to get my degree, you know."

"So what, you'll just drop out?"

"No, I'm going to pick up classes at NYU."

"Don't take Literature, okay?"

"Never," she smiled. "You want to drop me off today?"

"Sure, I've got that nine o' clock class today."

~x~

Kate went home to her dorm that evening, having not been there in a few days, to find Lanie sitting on the couch, hands entwined with Javier's watching a movie.

"Kate? Holy crap, you're here! I thought you were going to Rick's tonight?"

"Oh, no. I actually had to talk to you guys about something. Where's Kevin?"

"I only ever come over here for certain reasons," Javi sighed. "Also, there's a sock on the doorknob."

Kate's eyes widened.

"Jenny?" she asked.

Lanie smirked and shrugged.

"Mmm. Javi's had to sleep here for two nights."

"Wow. Okay, well, I need to talk to him. How long…?"

"You can probably just knock."

"Isn't that kind of against the rules of socks on doorknobs?"

"Only if you're a roommate."

Kate shrugged, going across the hall.

This was serious, and she had plans to leave next week.

She sighed a sigh of relief as she noticed the door open, a hand reaching for the sock, Jenny, with tousled hair and a certain glow about her, and Kevin, a wide grin on his face, fully dressed (thank goodness).

"I'll call you tonight."

"Yeah, will do," Kevin replied, kissing her quickly on the forehead.

"Oh, hi, Kate," Jenny said timidly as she noticed her presence. "I was just…bye, Kev."

They watched as Jenny shuffled away.

"Hey, could you come over?"

"I've got to like, clean the sheets and stuff, ya know?"

"Kevin, this is really serious."

Kevin looked back into Javi's dorm, then nodded.

"Alright."

~x~

"I know I said nothing was going to change, but something big has happened."

"Shit, are you knocked up?" Javier asked.

"What? Shut up, Javi! Of course not. I'm going home."

"This is home," Kevin whispered quickly.

"It's been home, but I'm going back to New York."

"Why would you do that? Did we do something?" the Irish boy asked.

"No. You could never do something to make me leave. It's my dad. He's kind of…he's really depressed, and I need to take care of him as soon as I can," Kate sighed.

"Wait, you're being serious, then," Lanie muttered.

"I'm afraid I am."

"When are you leaving?" Javier asked after a few moments.

"I'm buying a ticket for next week, I think. My mom…she left me a lot of money, you know? I think…I'll fly first class. I'll pick up some classes at NYU after a week, and come back next year, okay?"

"Kate, if that's what you need to do…we'll help you in every way we can," Javier replied firmly.

"Of course, we've got your back, Kate," Kevin added.

Lanie only nodded in reply.

"Go get my laptop, Javi. Let's get Kate to New York."

* * *

**I am so sorry this took so long to upload! I travelled to another country mid-school year for family reasons, and I spent a lot of time catching up.**

**Thanks for sticking around! **


	10. Chapter 10

**I have been a rubbish human being (and fanfiction author). I've always disliked when people held stories off, but I didn't realize I had done it myself until I received a PM this evening. So guess what? I took pieces from the ten drafts I'd written and wrote this for you. I apologize for taking forever, and I could leave excuses, but they're horrible ones. If you're reading this, thank you bunches for waiting so long. I'm so so sorry for taking so long! **

* * *

"I'm going back to New York."

She said it to herself first. She stared at the e-ticket on her laptop screen.

Her eyes moved to her packed suitcase and her empty bed.

Stripped of its decorations, her portion of the room looked pale and plain in contrast with Lanie's bright side.

Lanie stared at her, a sad smile washing over her face.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving."

Kate stood up.

"You should print that out. You can use my printer, since yours is packed away."

Kate walked over to Lanie's printer and hooked it up to her laptop.

She moved the cursor over PRINT, and the papers started pouring out of the printer.

"Thanks."

She wandered out into the hallway with her bags, knocking on Javier's door.

"Javi?"

Javier held his best friend in a tight hug.

"Don't go."

Kate sighed, hugging him in return.

"I wish I didn't have to."

"But your dad needs you," Javier sighed sadly. "Well, come in. Kevin should be here any—"

"I'm here."

Kevin pulled Kate into his arms without hesitation.

"I know what you'll say if I ask you not to go, so just…come back soon."

"And safe," Lanie interjected, exiting into the hallway with her friends.

Kate entered Javier's dorm room to find a banner with two balloons attached to its bottom hung up on the wall.

"We got pizza. Would have got Chinese food, but it would be easier to choke down more pizza then lo mein," Kevin explained.

"It's Chicken Bacon Ranch," Javi added. "We got Kevin two slices of cheese. Don't worry, he won't starve."

Kevin slammed a hand to Javi's back.

"Forever the John to my Sherlock, hm?" he laughed.

Kate chuckled.

The four of them spent the next twenty minutes telling stories ("Dude, remember the first time you got drunk?" Javier recalled. "Yeah! And you streaked across campus? Good thing Kate was there to drag you back with a blanket, huh?"), scarfing down pizza, and holding down tears.

"Hey, it's two thirty," Kevin remarked. "If you're going to head to New York, you'll have to go soon."

Javi punched Kevin in the arm.

"Hey man, you watch it. I'm keeping my Becks around as long as I can."

Still, they all piled into Kevin's car and headed off to San Francisco International.

The goodbyes at the door were bitter, but Kate had to focus and she couldn't miss her flight, so they were said then and there.

"Hey, you call me about the boys there, huh?" Lanie reminded her, her mascara smudged ever so slightly.

"Yeah, and I'll check 'em out to beat them up," Javi added.

"I'll try to visit when my parents take me to New Jersey in May. Hopefully, though, you'll be back before then."

Kate nodded, watching as Lanie and Kevin headed back into the car.

Javi pulled her bag out of the trunk and stood in front of her.

"You come back for me, okay?" he said sternly, followed by a whimper escaping from his mouth.

"Javier Esposito, don't tell me you're crying," Kate laughed sadly, pulling her best friend into a hug.

"Not crying, Becks. I've got something in my eye."

They pulled away, but Kate put a hand on Javier's cheek.

"You be safe out there. Love you, Becks."

She chuckled through a tear.

"A bit forward, don't you think?"

With one more hug, Kate watched as Javi got into the car and drove off.

~x~

She sat at the McDonald's, waiting for the information regarding which gate she'd be boarding at to show up now that her flight had been delayed for a rain storm in Dallas where she'd be stopping off.

Kate fiddled with her phone and iPod, searching for a song, any song, that didn't remind her of a) how unhappy and b) how alone, at this point, she was.

The worst part is, she realized, Rick wouldn't be able to see her off. The last class he taught was one that would prevent him from coming. She never thought the school would prevent her from seeing the man she loved like that.

That was, until, her phone rang and she looked up to see Rick, panting in his black shirt and "Okay? Okay." tie.

"What the hell are you doing here? You still have a class," Kate muttered, standing.

He shook his head and kissed her quickly.

"My favorite student was waiting."

He kissed her again, pressing his lips to her cheek before pulling away altogether.

"Someone from the school could be here," she commented, his hands still entwined with hers.

"I really, really don't care. You don't go to Stanford anymore."

Kate didn't mention that it wouldn't really have mattered because in a few weeks, the end of the semester would arrive and she wouldn't have been in his class anymore anyway.

"I love you," he stammered. "I know I don't say it enough. I know that we're always sneaking around and that we can't always go to the movies. I know that you had to hide it from your best friends for awhile and that your mom never knew who I really was. I'm really sorry, Kate. I just need you to know that even though I know it doesn't seem like it because I'm so busy hiding, I love you."

Kate nodded slowly, taking in the words, then kissed him again.

"I love you, too."

~x~

Kate stood in JFK at the baggage claim, waiting for her black suitcase to tumble in front of her.

She leafed through _Every Day_ by David Levithan, having been recommended it by Rick, who truly was still such a teenager, a fact for which she was grateful.

A flash of green passed in front of her, and Kate recognized it as the duct tape that Javi at insisted she place on the handle so that she wouldn't forget it. She reached over, pulling the bag onto the floor beside her and moving confidently towards the exit of the airport.

After hailing a taxi, she settled on continuing her novel, wondering what it would be like to switch bodies every day. Perhaps then, she wouldn't have to deal with the overarching problems of a dead mother, an alcoholic father, hiding a relationship with her favorite person in the world. Even still, she supposed, it was better, easier, that she stay in this one body. Stay in this one body and get to spend the night at Rick's and wake up next to him.

Though she wouldn't be able to do that much anymore.

~x~

She pushed the door open, horrified by the way the apartment didn't smell of Febreeze or roses or tulips or even laundry detergent, but of beer, whiskey, general body odor, and old pizza. What tore her apart more, though? The absence of her mother, or the sight of her father curled up like a baby on the couch?

Kate quickly dropped her bags and kneeled beside her dad.

"Hey, dad?"

He groaned, an acknowledgement that she was indeed there, but the ignorance of a drunk which, Kate supposed, he had become.

"Dad, I didn't fly across the country for you to sit there. Get up."

He sat up slowly, Kate backing away, and groaned again.

"Johanna, is that you?"

Kate bit her bottom lip, pulling a few tears back.

"No, dad. It's me, Kate."

"Kate," he whispered. "Kate."

"Kate," she confirmed.

"Kate, what are you doing here?" he asked, no longer a shadow brought by whiskey and beer, but her father.

"I'm here to take care of you," Kate explained, standing back up to pick up a washcloth from the bathroom.

"You shouldn't have to do that."

"It appears," she muttered, returning beside him, patting his face with the blue towel. "I do."

~x~

_It's Tuesday_, Kate thought fondly.

She moved towards her computer, watching as it lit up just on cue.

A Skype call from Lanie, Kevin, and Javier, just like every Tuesday night.

She pressed the "Video Call" button, preparing a smile.

"Hey, guys!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hey!" Kevin shouted, smiling and waving frantically.

"Happy Birthday, Kate!" Javier and Lanie screamed in unison. "We got you an awesome present! Did you get it?"

Kate smiled, leaning over to pick up the cardboard box on the coffee table.

"I did!"

"Open it!"

Kate nodded, reaching for a pair of scissors and cutting the tape off of the FedEx box.

"We heard you lost your scarf and sunglasses on the subway, so we bought you three of each," Lanie said. "We were pretty happy that your birthday is in March."

She reached into the FedEx box to feel, as expected, three scarves and three pairs of wayfarer sunglasses. Kevin had already gotten her a purple and gray scarf, so Kate was pleased to find a silky black one from him, with a pair of hot pink sunglasses (the post-it note attached reading: for the Darren Criss addict in you).

Javier bought her a cardinal and white scarf and navy blue sunglasses, exactly the same as the ones she had lost. She had been confused for a moment as to why the scarf was colored like a candy cane until she realized—they were the colors of Stanford ("really, Javi? Trying to guilt me into coming back?" "Worth a try, no?"). As for the sunglasses, it was only to be expected—he had been there when she purchased the old ones ("don't replace me just yet, Becks." "Wouldn't think of it.").

Lanie had gone with whimsical gifts, including a Slytherin scarf ("my cousin works at Universal, so I was able to get one from her."), the house into which she had been "Pottermore sorted". The sunglasses she had purchased for Kate were black with a small chain hanging from them, the chain ending in a mustache under her nose. This got Kate to laugh in the longest that she had in weeks.

"Have you, um, got a call from…?" Kevin asked, a hand on his neck.

"Rick? No, I haven't. It's still early, you know. It's only, what, five-twenty there? Doesn't he have a class that wraps up around this time?"

Javier nodded.

"Yeah. Don't think too much of it, you know? He's just a little late. No doubt he remembered."

Lanie smiled sadly.

"We miss you lots, Kate."

"I miss you guys too. I have to get going."

"Big party, then?" Kevin smiled.

"Of course. I'm freaking Kate Beckett, you know."

"We know."

"Love you, guys," she sighed.

"We love you too!" they screamed in unison as they hung up.

Kate exhaled heavily, shutting her eyes as silence filled her ears.

She stood from the couch and walked to her father's bedroom where he laid asleep—but more importantly—not passed out.

She kissed him softly on the head, his breath reeking very faintly of whiskey, his poison. It was, however, much subtler than the scents two months ago.

As she stepped out, she noticed a soft and familiar tune, a song that she and Rick had danced to on one of their nights out.

Her phone rang, a gray box appearing, obstructing a picture of her and Rick in their pajamas at his apartment. She could finally change it now—she wasn't his student, she kept reminding herself.

**8:28 pm**

**Rick: Happy Birthday, Katie. Hope NYC's treating you well. You're a thousand miles away, but girl tonight, you look so pretty.**

Followed by another one.

**8:30 pm**

**Rick: Goodness, I've become a sap, haven't I? Missing you. Take care. I love you. xx**

She laid down on the couch, memories flooding her. She could think of only one thing: she should not have to be here.

She was nineteen—twenty, it is her birthday—years old. She is a twenty year old girl. It is her birthday. She is sitting alone in her father's apartment listening to her and her boyfriend's song. Her mother is dead.

The song ends, and Kate shakes her head wearily, leaning over the coffee table to pick up a manila folder.

She pulls it open, wincing at the photograph inside.

She laughs bitterly, realizing a terrifying truth.

She is a twenty year old girl who promised herself that she would go to NYU the second she landed at JFK. But it's been two months and she's spent so much time making sure her dad stayed away from the booze in the fridge that she hasn't enrolled at NYU for late entry, or even for next year. She has done something worse than stay at Stanford. She's enrolled in the Police Academy.

* * *

**Again, I thank you for your patience and for the fact that you've gone and finished this chapter. Next one will be up sooner than it took for this one (hopefully!). Really, though, you're all amazing. Shout out to all of you who told me I should continue. Thanks for the favorites and follows. I'm so looking forward to coming to the story's end with all of you. See you soon!**


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